Portable cabinet for dehydrating air



1952 H. J. KAUFMAN PORTABLE CABINET FOR DEHYDRATING AIR Filed Jan. 29, 1945 I INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 12, 952

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This invention relates-to -a portable cabinet-for dehydrating air in'which calcium chloride-magnesium chloride or other suitable hyg'roscopic ma terial can be effectively-used for producing 'd air conditions within enclosures: 1

One object of the invention iS'ftO provide apparatus for dehydrating the air-"ofenclosures Where drainage is 'not available and for 'temporarily storing the wastehygroscopic" solution within the enclosure without'evaporating--water from the waste "hygroscopic" solution back into the air of the enclosure.

(01. list-'43) Another object'ofthe invention is to provide apparatus for dehydratingair in an assembly of demountable and interchangeable parts foreasy access through manholes of tanks -tunnels and marine compartments and for interchanging or replacing the separate parts as may be required.

Another object of theinventijon is to provide apparatus for dehydrating air for use int'marine Figure 2 is a vertical section of the assembled l parts on the line 11-11 of Fi'gure 3. I

Figure 3 is a vertical sectioniof' the assembled parts on the' line III-III 'ofFigure 2.

Figure 4 is a modification of the assembly in which the waste hygroscopic solution tank is outside of the cabinet.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section on the line VV of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line VI-VI of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section 01' the removable frame l9.

Figure 8 is a vertical section of the removable frame [9.

Figure 9A is a section and Figure 9B is a plan of the baflie 36 shown in Figure 4.

Referring to Figures 1 to 8; the case ID has the supports I l, the baflies II, the horizontal Thef-rame I9 is carriedon the supports II and carries'the sub-frame 20 whichholds'theporous material 2| and also supports the wire screen .or perforated material baskets 22, having the spacing-members '23; 24 and 25, which also direct the air flow between the said wire screen baskets.

; The waste hygroscopic solution tank 1.26 is divided-into vertical compartments by the partietions 21, having the holes 28 for equalizing the levels of the waste solution in the separate compartments.

' The fan' section ZQ' ha's-the fan .30, :driven by the motor 3| and is supplied with electric current through the wires Hand. 33.

Figure *4 shows analternate arrangement of the apparatus with the :waste hygroscopic solu tion storage tank outside of the cabinet, the tank having the airtight-cover which is madere: movable for'emptying the tank. Thedrain pipe 1 4 has the opening'35'ior supplying a'liquid seal tothe said drain pipe. The entrance to the drain pipe is protected by the baiiie "36 against clogging due to small particles of hygroscopic solid material ialling into the 'entrancelto the drain pipe when filling'the wire screen baske'tswithhygroscopic solid material." to v .o

The operation is as follows the'baskets' 22 are filled with or'slightlymore than filled with hybgroscopic "solid material such 'as' calcium chloride or magnesium chloride in' fiake'ior' granulated form 31, air ismovedby the'fan 30' driven'bythe motor3 I through the air inlet |6,'upward through the porous material 2| in contact with hygroscopic solutionfrom theimelted hygroscopic -solid material '31 in the baskets 22, then vertically and then horizontally between 'therbaske'ts" 22 'andaround the ends'of thesaidbasketsand outward through the air outlet H. The air flow is upward by mechanical means and the hygroscopic solution flow is downward by gravity and the two flows are in counter direction to each Other. by gravity down the drain pipe l4 into the waste hygroscopic solution storage tank 26 and equal levels in the separate compartments are maintained by means of the holes 28 in the partitions 21 regardless of the tilting of the apparatus, also slopping or spilling of the waste solution is prevented by the said partitions 2! during sudden starting or stopping of the movement of the apparatus. When starting operations, sumclent waste solution should be left in the tank 26 to seal the outlet of the drain pipe M. The waste hygroscopic solution in the tank 28 is sealed from contact with the outside air by means of being The waste hygroscopic solution 38 flows the upward flow of air with the downward flow.

of hygroscopic solution and can be made of spun glass, plastic screen, exploded micacubes or other i through the material, held in place with screen or perforated racks, supported in the submaterial with continuous air passages upward frame20.

The purpose of building the demountable and interchangeable sections is so that the separate parts can be made separately in different shops and so that replacements can be made separately. .This also provides for easy acc'ess through small passages. I 4

Marine compartments, leased freight cars, tanks and many basements do not have drainage and when dehydrating the air by this means the waste solution must be temporarily stored within the. enclosure being dehydrated. Air dehydrating apparatus using calcium chloride or a similar dehydrating agent, when properly designed, will produce a waste hygroscopic solution with a vapor pressure practically in equilibrium with that of the air entering the apparatus. At the beginning of the operation of dehydrating the air of theenclosure, the. air and the waste hygrosoopic solution I will have a comparatively high vaporpre'ssure: At any stage of the dehydrating operation the vapor pressure of the accumulated waste solution willbe an average between that at the. beginning and that at the ending of the particular stage. and higher than that of the air of the enclosure. If the waste solution is left exposed to the air of the enclosure, water will be evaporated from the waste solution back into the air of the enclosure. This evaporation of water from the solution back into the air of the enclosure 'can be prevented. by sealing the major portion of the Waste solution and by sealing the minor portion of the waste solution from contact with the airxofthe enclosure. 1 l What I claim as my inventionis: A chemicalair dehydrating cabinet characterized by its freedom of caking of the'dehydrating material such as would interfere with replenishment of .the chemical and the separation of the entering air from the chemical solution in storage, said cabinet comprising an upper section, an intermediate section and a lower section, openings defined in the walls of said cabinet in the upper and intermediate sections thereof through which air to be dehydrated enters the intermediate section and after being dehydrated is exhausted from said upper section, an open top container for hygroscopic solid material extending from said intermediate section into said upper section to a point adjacent the top of said cabinet, a

baiiie extending from the lower part of said upper sectioninto said intermediate section and embracing the lower portion of said container to define a vertical air path surrounding the lower portion of ,saidcontainer, a cover at the top of said cabinet for replenishment of solid material in said container, a second baiiie embracing the upper "endofsaid'container and coacting with said cover to, define a dead air chamber at the upper end of said container, means defining a passageway for air at the lower portion of said container to connect the opening in the said intermediate sectionwith the saidvertical air path through said container as defined bysaid first baiile, a lateral opening defined between said upper and REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date Re. 17,983 Walker Feb. 24, 1931 V 551,950 Flint Dec. 24, 1895 637,488, Steinbart et al. 4--- Nov. 21, 1899 834,698- Williams Oct. 30, 1906 1,067,693 Van Calcar et al. July 15, 1913 7 1,147,754 Schultz July 27, 1915 2,027,094 Downs Jan. 7, 1936 2,174,186 Downs et al. Sept. 26, 1939 2,175,469 Kaufman Oct. 10, 1939 2,279,326 Kaufman Apr. 14, 1942 2,325,380 Edwards, Jr July 27,1943 2,349,787 Haswell May 23, 1944 2,363,262 Robinson Nov. 21, 1944 2,420,707 Hinger T May 20, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 23,073 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1899 220,858 Great Britain Aug. 28, 1924 

